In Seat Rig

[TroyWest]

Thanks Bob, I really appreciate your comments, and you're right. I hope I never have to reline the skirts.

[scottc79]

I am new to the post and dont know alot about how to make a saddle but have been around some guys that have made saddles like tooter and one was ricky nolan. When ricky worked for the pitch fork ranch he said tooter showed him how the make the seat rig and i watched him make a couple in his shop in truscott texas there is a hanger for lack on a better term that is in the middle of the saddle that the sturipps hang from he showed the hanger to me it was made from 1/8 to 1/4 inch rolled steel and he told me that tooter had given him the pattern and he pulled them out to have a look and said that the hanger is why tooters saddles sat on a horse and may have had somthing to do with the saddle pinching I not sure but he was sure the the hanger made the differance. I was about 19 or 20 at the time and could not afford the 3000.00 price tag 10 years ago to have him build one for me but they were the closest thing i have found to the tooter seat rig and i have lost touch with ricky after he left truscott. there is a display at the at the ranch and heritage center in lubbock of tooters work and they might let someone look under the saddle to see the hanger. I did sit on rickys saddle he had a slick fork seat rig at the time that had been alot of miles and I think his saddle was the most comfortable saddle i have ever sat on.

[firephil]

Troy, I have always wondered how you go about carving from the swell on down. How did you do that?

[TroyWest]

Well, normally I tool my swells on the saddle as one of the last things I do, however, on this saddle, everything being one piece I could actually tool the whole thing on the bench. It being an a-fork I could tool it and then put the whole thing on without damaging the tooling on the front.

[Sage]

Good Morning All,

Late night Demons were keeping me up last night and some how I came across this post about seat rigs. Thought the concept was very interesting, then Troy West posted a saddle he

did back in 2002 ( A Mother Hubbard ) seat rig. WOW !

Unfortunatley that picture keep me up even longer ! Could not stop thinking how Troy made that saddle.

Truley amazing